Category Archives: Leadership

“Commit thy Works Unto the Lord and Thy Thoughts Will Be Established.” Proverbs 16:3

Let’s break that down.

The first word “Commit” is very interesting because it is the Hebrew word “galal” and is translated into several different words. Most commonly it’s translated, “roll” or “roll down”. When the Jacob found or dug a well of water his people would cover it by rolling a large stone over the mouth of the hole. When they wanted their sheep or cattle to drink, the men would then push the stone out-of-the-way. It protected the water, but it also took some work to get it moved. The stone protected their most valuable asset, water. They lived in a very dry area. That water was life-giving.

“And they said, We cannot, until all the flocks be gathered together, and till they roll H1556 the stone from the well’s mouth; then we water the sheep.” Genesis 29:8

They had to put their backs into it and push with all the power and force of their bodily strength. When we commit to something, we have to put our backs into it too.

“Thy Works,” is the next phrase. Those words are translated from “ma`aseh”

“And he called his name Noah, saying, This same shall comfort us concerning our work H4639 and toil of our hands, because of the ground which the LORD hath cursed.” Genesis 5:29

What do you DO for God. IF you are are minister, get out and minister, if you are a helper, get out and help, if you are a prophet get out and DO the work with all the strength you can muster.

“Unto God,” is translated from, unto Yĕhovah, or Jehovah. There are seven names of God, this is the one that means Supreme God, or One true God.

“These are the generations of the heavens and of the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD H3068 God made the earth and the heavens,” Genesis 2:4

This is the most supreme commander, all-powerful, all-knowing all loving God. SO He’s the guy we obey. Is Jesus Christ that Guy? Simply put. No. He’s Jesus Christ, God’s son. God is God. He’s who we get our orders from. Even Jesus didn’t claim to be “God”. He knew that would be blaspheming his Father and the Ruler of all things.

“And thy thoughts” , is all one phrase in Proverbs 16:3 and translated from one word, machashabah. Machashabah means literally thought, device, plan or purpose.

These are your inner desires, plans and motives or they could be someone else’s. The word is neither positive nor negative.

Wow are you getting excited? I am.

“Shall be established” is one little Hebrew word, kuwn. It means, to be established, be stable, be secure, be enduring. To be fixed, be securely determined. To be directed aright, be fixed aright, be steadfast (moral sense). To prepare, be ready, and to be prepared, be arranged, be settled.

Here’s one way it is used;

“And for that the dream was doubled unto Pharaoh twice; it is because the thing is established by God, and God will shortly bring it to pass.” Genesis 41:32

That verse in Proverbs is an amazing reminder to have your feet firmly planted, rooted and established on the One True God. It also tells me that your thoughts, perceptions, and understanding of why God had you do something will come after you obey. So many of us get that confused. Commit thy works, just do what He asked. Don’t question, don’t argue. God knows what His plan is. He sees all things.

Listen to the verse right before this one. “All the ways of a man are clean in his own eyes; but the Lord weigheth the spirits.” Proverbs 16:2.

We think we know what is going on, when God sees every aspect including spiritual influences.

Someone told me a phrase once; When things come up this should be your instinctual reaction.

Stay Calm. Having emotional knee jerk reactions is our choice. Everytime. WE choose how to react.

Take out the Spirits, God has given us great power to affect change right here on earth. Use it in the name of Jesus Christ our power of attorney.

Walk in Love. This is our only way of knowing we’re doing things right. God is love, when we ask Him what to do next, we walk in love.

God knows this situation inside and out and He asks you to walk in Love through it all. How can you do that when you are emotionally tangled up in the situation? Beats me. Emotions are there for a reason, but we have to make sure they are under our control.

“Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the Lord, and depart from evil. Proverbs 3:5-7

Or how about this one in the new testament?

“For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.” Romans 8:6

“For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they ARE the sons of God. For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. Romans 8:14-15

When we commit our works we get rid of fear. We get rid of worry and pride too. We have life and peace. Get your feet moving my friend.

What’s Next God? What’s NEXT? There are billions of people, millions of choices for your life and even more importantly one great big God who loves you and saved you. YOU ARE POWERFUL! Each choice to be led by God is crippling to the enemy and his arsenal of fear. Choose to believe that your very intimate and loving Father will guide you and protect you in every circumstance. You are an heir to His Spiritual Fortune. Claim your right and place. You deserve it!

Here are the last two steps to the two-part post. If you have read the first post then you are probably excited about some of the answers you already received. Here are 2 critical thinking steps that when applied to the first three steps, will rock your prayer life.

Steps: 4 & 5

4. Your NEEDS and WANTS must be parallel. I’ve found this puts your priorities in order. Lets say for instance you really need a job, but you don’t want to work. You want to stay home and feed your goldfish, Mr. Fluffy Gills all day. In that instance I would say, your needs and wants are not parallel. Consequently you will not be motivated to go out and look for the job you desperately need. God cannot steer a parked car. On the other hand you desperately need a job and you want to work at something you love doing. Then you are motivated and moving towards taking care of those needs. “Do” is the biggest little word in the Bible. Doing God’s Word is far more enlightening than just reading it. James 1:22 But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.

5. God’s Willingness is always Equal to his Ability. How able is God, the creator of the heavens and earth? Romans 4:20-21 He(Abraham) staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; 21 And being fully persuaded that, what he(God) had promised, he was able also to perform. What God promised, (his willingness) he was also able to perform. If you were sitting along the highway with a flat tire and your good friend pulled up wanting to help you. But you needed a jack and he didn’t have a jack. Isn’t he willing, but not able? Now lets say he pulled up and had a jack, but didn’t want to help you out? Isn’t he able, but not willing. Many times people put conditions on God’s willingness. We all know he is able, but what would keep him from being willing to help you his child? NOTHING! His Ability = His Willingness.

In conclusion: There are over 900 promises in the Word of God. 900! How many of these precious resources do you know about, and are willing to tap into just by asking the first question? God, is it available? Prayer is a conversation with your Father. Be honest, mostly with yourself, and be willing to do what he suggests. With these steps the treasures that lay just within your grasp will be yours for the taking. Romans 8:1 There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, (born again of God’s Spirit) who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. Those who are doing these steps will automatically be walking in the Spirit. Isn’t it a relief to realize that there isn’t anything wrong with you? There is no question, no prayer, no problem that God cannot handle. In fact he probably eats larger problems than yours for breakfast. I am very proud of your effort to walk out on God’s promises in your life. Now the only question remains: “What next God?”

“I’ve prayed and prayed Molly, but I’m not getting my prayers answered. I’m frustrated!” said the struggling Christian man to his wife.

“God works in mysterious ways. Maybe he doesn’t think we are going to church enough to get our prayers answered,” Molly replies, while wondering what could be wrong with them if God isn’t answering their prayers.

I’ve noticed God gets a bad rap among believers sometimes, because they don’t understand the following procedure. At your work there are procedures for everything, who do you think invented that concept? These five steps, when followed, will put your priorities in order and cut to the meat of the situation. Remember the wonderful scripture in; Isaiah 26:3 Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed (quietly stayed) on thee, because he trusts in thee. Okay now get quiet on the inside and do step 1 through 3.

Here are 3 of 5 Steps to Receiving anything from God.

Ask God: What is Available? This question’s answer will put things in perspective immediately. James 1:5 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. If you find out that what you are praying for isn’t available, or get a “No” as the response when you ask God, then ask a variety of “What is available in the situation?” questions until you get a “Yes”. Such as; you are praying for a new career or job. You ask God, “Is it available for me to get a new job?”, “Yes” is the quick reply. Next thing to do is step number 2.

Ask God: How do I receive it? This question will be answered directly or indirectly. (The quieter you are the better you will hear his voice) In our example above you asked about a new job. An example answer may be, that the name of an old business associate pops into your head. Or out of the blue a friend calls you needing to hire someone. Or God plainly says, look in the newspaper. There are so many options here that number three is immediately the next step.

Ask God: What do I do when I’ve got it? When you get the job, maybe this advice would be, “Show up five minutes early everyday and make sure to give 100% while you’re there. You never know. Or he may say something like,”Make sure you have them take the most they can out in taxes every pay check.” If you are following these steps with all the prayer requests you have, God will be able to work mightily in the situations you are in. Takes all the mystery out of it, huh. Here are a few verses to substantiate your thinking on these three steps. Look for the next post to see the last two critical steps to “Getting your Prayers Answered.”

III John 2 Beloved I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospers.

Philipians 4:19 But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

Romans 8:37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.

Ephesians 3:20 Now (not ten years from now, now) unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us.

Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, lean not unto thine own understanding, in all thy ways acknowledge him and he shall direct thy paths.

I John 5:14 And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.

John 14:13 And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.

Perfect peace. Is it possible? What does it mean? Does it mean everything is still and quiet in the house? Does it mean that no problems exist? No drama? Not a peep of misunderstanding? Does it mean that you always know what to do in every situation, with every person you come across?

Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee. Trust ye in the LORD for ever: for in the LORD JEHOVAH is everlasting strength:” Isaiah 26:3-4

These verses are taken from a chapter of upheaval in Israel. The children of Israel were dying. Their temple, their lands, their women were being invaded and here Isaiah, the prophet had to keep his calm. He had to encourage God’s people.

Let’s fast forward to just after Jesus died.

“Then the disciples went away again unto their own home. 11 But Mary stood without at the sepulchre weeping: and as she wept, she stooped down, [and looked] into the sepulchre, 12 And seeth two angels in white sitting, the one at the head, and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain. 13 And they say unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? She saith unto them, Because they have taken away my Lord, and I know not where they have laid him.” John 20 10-13

Imagine this moment for Mary. Here her teacher, savior and friend was supposed to be entombed and needing care. She had come from desperate grief and chaos to prepare him properly for the burial. But he was gone.

“14 And when she had thus said, she turned herself back, and saw Jesus standing, and knew not that it was Jesus. 15 Jesus saith unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? whom seekest thou? She, supposing him to be the gardener, saith unto him, Sir, if thou have borne him hence, tell me where thou hast laid him, and I will take him away. 16 Jesus saith unto her, Mary.” vs. 14-16

He was alive!

Back to my question. How do we get to perfect peace? Sometimes we just have to remember that our savior has come, he conquered death so that we could live. He conquered it so we could really live! And some day soon he’s coming back for us.

Let those words sink deep into your heart and life. Jesus Christ is the prince of Peace, and God is the Author of if. Embrace the truth. Trust in it. No matter what chaos we have to deal with, we can be alive! ZoE is the Greek word for life, and it means to energize, liven, make a live and animate. We have life, and we have it more abundantly because of what Jesus Christ went through. Peace, is living in that truth.

Like this:

Yup, I’m busy. A little over busy maybe, but great things are happening too. I’m prospering and working hard. I’m also so tired, I drag my butt to the sofa at night, plop down and fall asleep before I wash the day off my face. This morning the alarm rang at 5:45 am, as usual. My body leaps into a slow motion panic as I grope for the off button. What was I thinking getting up at 5:45 in the AM? Yikes. I rose went to make coffee and considered getting back into bed.

Hmm.. I didn’t blog yesterday. I miss it.

Then I realized, it was God that answered my prayers with busy and abundant. I don’t want to become too busy to fellowship with Him.

“But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light:” 1 Peter 2:9

It’s not just luck that God called us.

He chose us. He wanted us. Why? Because He loves us. And all we can truly give Him back, in thanks, is our giving to others. Our work. Not busy-office meetings and scheduling of job stuff, but HIS work.

“But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; (behavior, life-style) Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy. And if ye call on the Father, who without respect of persons judge according to every man’s work…1 Peter 1:15-17a

There is joy in work.

There is a certain self-respect and confidence from working hard and doing what God wants done in a situation. There’s also a freedom to it that few ever realize. When you leave the results up to God and have a heart to do exactly as He says without worry, you release the work emotionally and have less stress over it. It’s really an amazing phenomenon. Then suddenly, you have a lot of hearts coming around wanting to grow and have more to do with God’s work than you ever thought possible. Suddenly, your work is fun and busy

“For God is not unrighteous to forget your work (enterprise, or work of your hands) and labour (toil until exhausted) of love, which ye have shewed toward his name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister.” Hebrews 6:10

I know…I’m a marked lady.

I am forever marked as a Christian by running this blog. Even though I disagree with a lot of them. I’ve published over 850 posts! Yikes! If I wanted to avoid any substantial evidence of loving God, this was not the way to do it. Lol! Guilty as charged! I made the choice when I began this thing, that I would just come every morning and let God bring out the rest. We’ve talked about some crazy things too! Lol…

This work is an addiction, a privilege and it polarized me. Here I am, boldly saying my opinion, risking the offense of many who don’t think like my “Identifying Mark”. (And there are many.) What will that work do to my business work? What if someone who likes my art comes along and doesn’t like that I love God? Or wants to buy a house but doesn’t want one prayer said to help it along? I’m not hiding it. The world is so fond of saying, “It is what it is.” I’d like to use that now. I am what I am. Take me or leave me. I’m not asking you to change your mind, accept me, or believe God like I do. But I’ll admit one thing…I’d be an atheist too, if it weren’t for God. At least give me some props for honesty. It’s a called a glass house. Not a fake one, an honest, genuine see-me-for what-I-am kind of house. There’s dirty closets in here, un-mopped floors and a whole host of problems too. Didn’t say it was a perfect house, just a see-through one.

Honestly, I don’t care anymore who sees all that. I’m happy to admit I need God, because everyday I still need grace, forgiveness and not condemnation. That’s not what I deserve, but with Him, that’s what I got. It doesn’t make me better, just honest.

As a result, I prosper. Like attracts like. I get to work around some of the most positive, amazing people in the world in all areas of my life. I like that. So does God. It’s a win-win-win!

Our criticisms are ours alone to carry. They do nothing but prevent strong relationships, strong self-esteem and rob us and others of a greater sense of accomplishment. We alone live in isolation from them.

I have felt the brunt of other people’s criticism, at times, and realized that I don’t need to carry someone else’s opinion of me around with me. That burden is their hardship. I can leave their opinions right where I found them, with none the worse for wear. You see, I get to decide what information I keep. I get to stop hurtful criticisms before I take them personally. And I alone allow the good things into my heart like the Word of God.

It reminded me of this fabulous verse.

“Keep (guard) thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.” Proverbs 4:23

Our heart is our inner most thoughts of our mind. This should be a tightly controlled secure zone. No thoughts get in or out with a complete screening by the guard (you) and the Keeper, (God).

We’ve been told a lie.

From our teenage years up we start putting ourselves down. We start comparing and getting lots of outside information about our inner thought life. We decide early to take it into our hearts and believe it. But we aren’t taught how to filter and guard that information, or judge whether it is good for us to hear. Until one day we become our own worst enemy! Now we can’t trust even our own thoughts and mind because it will attack.

Do you know what cancer is? It’s when our own physical cells turn against us. Our bodies naturally want to heal. But cancer and AIDS and lots of other diseases, make our bodies fight that good natural order. It eats us from the inside out. Suddenly, we can’t trust our own cells to know what’s good for them. We have to inundate them with something radical and change their attitudes.

“But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth. (about yourself)

Lie not one to another (or to yourself), seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds;”

Colossians 3:8-9

Other people did this stuff to us, they trained us, so now we do it to ourselves. Yet there is no profit in it. We have to decide to take in the new radical change and trust that God knows what is good for us to think, hear, speak and believe. His word is pure. There are no toxins!

As you read this section think of how you treat yourself…

“And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:

Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering;

Forbearing one another (yourself!), and forgiving one another (yourself!), if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. (for yourself!)

And above all these things put on charity (agape), which is the bond of perfectness (maturity).

And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful. (for yourself!)

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.

And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.” Colossians 3:12-17

You were created for success in all things. You were created to do good works by your Father. He loves and wants you to see the highest and best potential in your life. Sometimes that means forgetting the criticisms and clinging to the truth about yourself. When changing your attitude and renewing your mind about yourself, …

“And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men;” vs 23

It takes hard work.

You have to stop yourself mid-thought and change the direction. You have to develop new habit patterns of thinking God’s Word about yourself.

“Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;” 2 Corinthians 10:5

It is called pride when you exalt other opinions over God’s. That includes your opinions about yourself. Isn’t pride what got the devil thrown out of heaven?

You have to decide to leave other people’s criticism and condemnation on the road where you found it. God thinks you’re worth that and HE knows everything. He especially knows what’s best for us.

“This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:” 1 John 1:5-6

We want to do the truth!

God bless you today!

EXERCISES FOR PRACTICAL LIVING

This is a new section. I’m going to add in a little exercise that you can do to practice this principle.

When you think of answers, write them down. Write down the first thing that pops into your head. If you see anything written that is unedifying, a criticism, or negative, that thought was not from God. Soon you’ll be able to suss out the thoughts He gives and your thoughts. So go back again and again.

Repeat exercise everyday for 5 days, then ever other day for the next 10.

After that, ask God for a prescription for further doses of this medicine. He may say, take a dose once a week for the next year, He may say more or less.

Keep in mind this is your walk with Him. It will rise or fall to the degree of seriousness, effort and believing you put into it.

I heard once this statement, “The beginning of knowledge is after you think you know it all”. LET God in. Let Him correct what the World has taught you about yourself. Trust me you are worth it!

Jesus Christ stood alone, so we could stand in a family.

Did you know that your stand for God stretches years beyond your life? And the reach you have when you stand with people who love you, can mean the difference between their life and death?

The family of like-minded believers is the most powerful force on earth. Especially believers who love God and pray for each other. So many times we see other people and assume they will think a certain way. Assuming is the worst way to deal with other people. Communication is the best. But you know that. I didn’t have to say it.

Once Jesus Christ started his ministry, what was his first order of business?

He went to see his “Cuuz”.

Jesus had probably heard about what John the Baptist, his cousin, had been doing. My goodness they were family after all. It was probably discussed at great lengths by his mom and dad, maybe even John’s parents too in Jesus’ presence.

Jesus knew what his own role was as God’s only begotten son because he had developed a relationship with His spiritual and invisible Daddy. So when God asked him to go see his cousin, he went. But keep in mind that John also knew about Jesus and how he came to be. He knew because they were family. They had to have known. Elizabeth and Mary probably made special trips while they were growing up so they could spend time together. Can you imagine their little conversations at 5 years old, or 6? Ha! Trust was built. Respect. Love. My goodness they loved each other.

“Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him.” Matthew 3:13

It was time. Who did Jesus have? He had his family. Someone God knew he would care for. Was John rude? Was he arrogant about this amazing role he played for God?

“But John forbad him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me?” vs. 14

Look at that heart!! It melts mine.

What happened next?

“And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfill all righteousness. Then he suffered him.

And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him:

And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” verse 15-17

At that time John was the leader of his own little rebellion. He criticized the Pharisees, and Jewish leaders, he ranted against their doctrines and teachings because they weren’t godly anymore. He could’ve had a big head. But it was exactly the opposite. And his stand prepared the way for Jesus Christ. Everything changed that day. But one thing remained the same. John was still Jesus’s cousin. He was also a fellow believer. Their united front said something big to every man woman and child present. But here’s the thing, signs and wonders will always follow those who believe. What sign and wonders followed this? The Holy Spirit and the voice from heaven. Wow! Gives me goosebumps.

Let’s fast forward to after the day of Pentecost. Peter was working with the Jewish believers. He gets the message to go to a guy named Cornelius. Cornelius was from another nation and not to be tangled with or kept in the same company as Peter. There were very strict rules about it in the old laws. So God had to change things up. Hey… what? God just wanted, and still wants, a bigger family. And He’s depending on us standing together and loving each other once we get there. How’s He, God, going to get that awesomeness to happen for Peter? He must show him in simple terms. So, He uses food. Lol! Of course. That’s probably how God would have to show me too. (Read Acts Chapter 10 for more details)

What happens?

Cornelius gets all his household together for this great moment when Peter, the teacher, shows up. Cornelius knew the Jewish rules too. But Peter, and actually God, had accepted their invite. Talk about exciting. How else were they going to learn this stuff? Cornelius’s family was a tight little community. They loved Cornelius and they stood together. Believed together. They were excited together.

“Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons: But in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him.” Acts 10:34-35

The first thing he says is that God accepts you guys. No matter your national origin. WHOA! Talk about exciting!

Then…

“While Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word. And they of the circumcision which believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because that on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost. For they heard them speak with tongues, and magnify God.” verses 44,45,46a

God gave them the greatest gift He could’ve given, a spiritual family and membership to the most amazing body of people ever constructed. They all had it. And when a family stands together great things happen! EPIC things happen. Signs and wonders happen!!

Do you need a fellow body of believers? Ladies, did you know we meet every week for two hours online and live for some awesome hot fellowship? Well, we do. Here’s your invite, officially. Come stand with a family.